First components of Town Square redevelopment eyed for April opening

As the $5 million capital campaign for Aurora Town Square continues, the first elements of the $56 million redevelopment and downtown revitalization project are shaping up to open this spring.

Work inside the Aurora Public Library, including new meeting spaces, a reconfigured Yonge Street Entrance, and further amenities are tentatively set to open with a ribbon cutting on April 12, according to Phil Rose, Project Manager for the Aurora Town Square project, formerly Library Square.

80 per cent of the project, he said, should be done by the end of 2022, including the bridge connecting the Aurora Public Library (APL) with the expansive new addition to the historic Church Street School, home to the Aurora Cultural Centre and Aurora Museum & Archives, which should be complete by August.

Interior work on the new addition will be the last portion of the plan to be complete, with Mr. Rose estimating this should be done by January of 2023.

Mr. Rose provided an update on timelines during a media tour of the APL portion of the construction last week.

Work continues amid a capital campaign with a fundraising target set for $5 million, a formal update on which will be before Council next month.

“We do a hard hat tour [with potential donors, alongside the Mayor, the Consultant and me] and we give them information about the different naming opportunities,” said Mr. Rose on the work that has been done so far. “We have identified everything from the Performance Hall, to the outdoor square, to the bridge.”

Mr. Rose says there is a strong interest in sponsorship opportunities from the local development community and, further opportunities for the public to become involved in the capital campaign and be recognized permanently on-site will become available in the coming weeks.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter